


Infected

by writerstrash



Series: Mr. Stark & His Kid [7]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Irondad, Other, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-20 10:56:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20674247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerstrash/pseuds/writerstrash
Summary: Peter gets a parasite.





	Infected

When Peter arrived at the compound that afternoon, Tony knew something wasn't right. A perk of the spider bite was lack of sickness which meant Peter's skin was always perfectly clear with a nice, healthy glow. Today it was pale, almost grey and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. 

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Tony asked immediately, eyes narrowing.

"What?" Peter asked, putting his backpack down on the lab bench. 

"Have you seen yourself? You look like a walking corpse,"

Peter took a deep breath, shaking his head. He looked like he was holding back wanting to vomit. Like something was creeping up his throat, threatening to spill out, but he pushed it back down and powered through.

"Rough gym class," Peter explained.

"Spider-Man had trouble in gym? Try better, kid."

"Just feel a little off," the boy shrugged. "Can I get something to eat?"

Tony was off to the bar cabinet in an instant, opening the door and stepping aside to show Peter his options. Ever since the kid had become a regular in his life, Tony made sure he was always looked after here at the compound as well as the tower. He had access whenever he liked, had his own room, his own pass codes and most importantly, his own smorgasbord of snacks. Peter's metabolism was on another level, and Tony made sure the lab was fully stocked with all his favourites. 

Peter looked over to the shelves of food as he took Tony's seat at the desk, feeling his body tremble. He felt like he was going to pass out if he didn't eat something very soon.

"Uh, chocolate," Peter requested. "And uh, Doritos? Are there any Skittles left? Just...whatever you can carry,"

Tony stared at him for a moment before turning to the food, grabbing handfuls of whatever he could. The kid had an appetite for everything right now, and Tony tried to cover all bases. When he walked over and dumped the pile of junk in front of Peter, he noticed just how bad the kid was looking.

"Jesus, did you eat at _all _today?" Tony asked.

"Had breakfast," Peter nodded, ripping open a bag of Doritos before shovelling them into his mouth.

Tony had witnessed Peter polish off pint after pint of ice-cream and endless bags of chips, but he had never seen this level of hunger before. Peter usually had manners and apologised if he dropped a single crumb, but not right now. He had a mouthful of chocolate while shoving in candy and chips all at once and the mess he was making made Tony think he had turned rabid. 

"Maybe ease up, Pete," Tony advised. "If you already feel bad, this can't be helping,"

"Hungry," Peter mumbled through another mouthful.

"Yeah, I can see that. How about just one thing at a time?" he suggested.

Tony reached his hand forward, beginning to move the chocolate back along the desk away from Peter's grasp, until a growl stopped him. A growl. From Peter. Rumbling up deep from within his chest. A snarling, warning growl.

"Did...did you just _growl _at me?" he asked, a mixture of anger and worry in his voice.

"Hungry," Peter told him, once again, voice deep and threatening.

"Yeah, no shit! Since when do you growl?" Tony asked. "Peter, look at me,"

The teen ignored him, holding up the now empty bag of Doritos in order to get every crumb into his mouth before tearing into a new bag of M&Ms. Nothing was satisfying him, but he needed to keep eating. Something kept telling him to _eat, eat, eat _and he was powerless to stop it. His body felt like he was dying and this was the only way to save it, but it wasn't enough. This wasn't what his body was craving, but it had to do.

There was another voice calling to him as well. A more familiar voice. A voice that made him realize that all of this was not normal.

"Peter!"

A hand was shaking him and the eating stopped. Peter's eyes locked with Tony's and he finally caught a glimpse of the terror and worry in the older man's face, noticing him flinch back in shock. Peter's pupils were blown wide, taking over all the white space, completely jet black. His skin was growing darker, turning greyer, and Peter thought his body was rotting around him. Then that feeling came back. Something was climbing through his throat.

Tony's heart was racing, panic setting in. 

"Friday, get Banner in here!" he called out, stepping back. "Peter, can you hear me?"

Opening his mouth, Peter tried to scream out in reply but instead of words he was met with a long, black tongue stretching out in front of him. It looked like it was dripping tar, thick black goo falling all over the floor and down Peter's clothes. Peter knew it wasn't his tongue, he knew it wasn't his body right now. Something was taking over, and he couldn't stop them.

"Peter is offline at the moment," the voice snarled, growling once again with the same force of a lion. "Shall I take a message?"

Tony was no longer looking at Peter, the kid he would lay down and die for, but a monster that was inside the teenager's body. Possessing him. 

"What are you doing to him?" Tony asked, hoping for some communication.

"Peter is special," the creature explained, still leaking disgusting goop everywhere. "He is the host we all hope for,"

"Host?"

"His body is powerful, and therefore I am powerful. Together, _we _are powerful," 

Right. Tony was sure he had lost his mind now. He had dealt with aliens and mad scientists and endless crazed villains, but this was pushing it. This _thing _was inside Peter, using him as a host, and yet they were their own entirely creepy being. 

It was then he heard banging on the glass walls of the lab, looking over to see backup. Bruce was at the front of the group, looking in worriedly. Friday had called for him immediately after Tony requested it and he had been panicked his whole way here. For good reason, too.

Behind him stood Natasha, Steve and Clint. All looking to be in various stages of disbelief at what they were seeing. But once the door opened for them to enter the lab, they heard Peter's voice. 

"Mr. Stark!" he screamed, falling to his knees. 

The creature disappeared back into Peter's body, rippling beneath his skin and travelling all over his back and arms and face. The team rushed over, trying to figure out what was happening and how to stop it.

"Pete!" Tony called out, rushing over to pull the teen into his arms. "Hey, hey, look at me!"

But Peter's eyes were squeezed closed. 

"Nghhhhh it hurts!" he cried. "Get it out!"

"What is it?" Steve asked, eyes wide.

"I don't know!" Tony panicked, holding Peter's thrashing body. "Shit, it's hurting him! Bruce!"

"I-I don't know what this is, Tony!" he shook his head. 

"It said Peter is a host," Tony explained. "Whatever's _in _there can come back out, we just have to get it!"

"It's a symbiote," Natasha breathed, almost talking to herself. "Takes on a host, can move from body to body...it has to be,"

They all looked at her.

"A what now?" Clint asked, eyes flickering between the assassin and the teenager writhing around in pain.

"I did recon a few months ago at a facility in San Fransisco. I can't explain it, but I think it's the same thing they had there, it's like a, uh, like some sort of parasite," Natasha tried to describe.

"Parasite?!" the creature screamed, angry, protruding from Peter's mouth once again.

They all jolted back in surprise, swearing to themselves. 

Then Peter began throwing up. Some of the junk food he ate, but mostly the same black tar-like goo that came from the creature. The Symbiote. Peter was crying and gasping and choking, and it was a nightmare to witness.

"It's okay, we're gonna get it out Pete, we're gonna fix it," Tony assured. "Banner!"

"Okay, I'm getting his stats now, we need to cool him off," Bruce explained, hurrying to his feet. "Steve, empty that toolbox and fill it with cold water!"

The Captain was off in an instant, following Bruce's orders. Natasha and Tony helped Peter into a better position, his head in Tony's lap as he laid against the cool lab tiles. He was still grey, sweat pouring off him now. 

"I'm gonna throw up," Peter warned, turning his head. 

Black goo flowed from his mouth like a tap, drenching his clothes and covering the floor. None of the mess bothered Tony in the slightest, his heart was too busy breaking at the sound of Peter's pained cries.

"Make it stop," he sobbed. "Mr. Stark, please,"

"We're trying buddy," Tony soothed, running a hand over his sweaty forehead. "Just stay with me, Pete. We'll fix it-"

"We are just beginning!" the creature snarled.

Clint reached out to grab the black body stretching out of Peter's, trying to rip it from him, but the creature was not something that could be physically fought. It wrapped around Clint's arm and threw him into the wall, shattering the glass.

"Clint!"

"Next?" it threatened. "I can fix him, you know? Leave him to me and he'll never hurt again, I assure you. Together nothing will hurt us."

"You're hurting him now!"

"The host is adjusting, he is not hurting," 

"I think he begs to differ," Natasha cut in.

Bruce was working silently nearby, preparing a vial of Peter's high-grade sedative. If they can dull Peter, they can weaken the creature. He looked to Tony as a warning and the billionaire nodded his understanding, making sure there was a clear point to Peter's neck.

"I am his cure," the voice declared.

"You're killing him!" Bruce argued. "The DNA doesn't match the host you need. Peter's DNA is altered-"

"Which makes him a fine host, I can feel the power-"

"He'll be dead in an hour," Natasha told the creature firmly, unable to phrase it kindly. "And so will you."

"No, together we will-"

"Get the fuck out of my kid!" Tony screamed, his eyes wide. "Or I will rip you out myself!"

There was a moment of silence before the creature began it's attack, but Bruce was faster with the needle. He stabbed into Peter's neck with force, making sure he hit his target before injecting the sedative straight to the teenager's veins. Tony would never forget feeling Peter's body turn lifeless. 

His eyes rolled back in his head, the black hold of the creature trying desperately to regain power. Without Peter conscious, the symbiote could barely control the host. 

"Now who's hurting him?" the voice asked.

Tony and Steve scrambled to pull Peter up from the floor and carry him to the makeshift tub of cold water, gently lowering him and keeping his head above the water. Tony cradled him in his arms, talking to him as if he was still awake.

"You're okay buddy, just taking a cool bath, okay? I'm here, not leaving you, you're okay," Tony soothed.

The others all exchanged looks of worry, both for Peter and Tony himself, and wondered how this was all going to end.

"What sort of recon did you do again?" Clint asked, hobbling over to the group.

"It was at Life Foundations, they'd been on some deep space mission and had samples of lifeforms. Alien lifeforms," Natasha explained, shaking her head. "But they were contained, Carlton Drake made sure of that,"

"Clearly they're not contained," Steve huffed. "How do we get rid of it?"

"I don't...I never saw them trying to get it out of people," she told them nervously.

Tony picked up on the caution in her voice, his body shaking with worry.

"What happened to the other people?" he asked. "They gave this parasite bullshit to them, didn't they? What happened to them?"

None of them needed to hear the words to know that answer, but Natasha knew she couldn't lie right now. Not with Peter at stake.

"They didn't survive the bonding," 

Bruce rubbed his eyes, looking over the monitors he had brought to their side.

"He's stabilising. Temperature is regulating, which is odd for him, usually. The...the symbiote is working on healing him,"

"Healing and killing him at the same time," Steve shook his head. "We need to get it out of him,"

"How long does sedation last for Pete?" Clint asked.

"Twenty minutes, max," Bruce sighed.

"We need to find something it doesn't like," Tony shook his head. "Cold water, hot water, spicy food, I don't know! We have to flush it out of him, we have to make it leave him,"

Over the next five minutes, they tried everything they could think of that might cause the symbiote to exit the host. Spiking the temperature didn't work. Causing electric shock through a defibrillator caused slight pain to the creature, but it carried on. In order to get it out, they needed to administer a continuous charge, and Tony was not on board with that.

"And he wakes up with brain damage? No," Tony shook his head. "Do I need to make it clear that we want him _alive _when this thing comes out?"

Tony looked down at the boy in his arms, now dry and wrapped in a towel, body turning a gruesome shade of blue. 

"It's the only thing that made an impact," Bruce sighed. "We're running out of time, the sedation's already wearing off,"

"Can we simulate an electric charge?" Natasha suggested. "Not a physical charge, but...what happened to it when the charge hit?"

Tony looked to her, confused.

"It was in pain before the charge hit..." he remembered. "The...the charge tone,"

"While it was rising to voltage..." Bruce realized. "It doesn't like high frequency,"

"Do it again," Tony instructed. "Don't hit him with it, just...charge it up,"

Tony readied himself for whatever reaction the creature would give them. He held Peter tight, brushing hair from his face, as Bruce powered up the defibrillator once again. Steve stood by the scientist's side, eyes trained on Peter and any part of his body that looked to be waking up.

As soon as the machine hit voltage capacity, Peter began to writhe. The scream that took over the room was not the boys, but instead the symbiote. It really didn't like the frequency. 

"That'll drive it out," Clint nodded. "Fire it up Banner, let's get this parasite piece of shit out in the open,"

"If we get it out, there's a chance it will try and bond with a host nearby," Bruce warned. "We need a secure environment, or someone very fast with a durable container."

"Will a container hold this thing?"

"If it's sealed, it'll do the job for now," Bruce shrugged. "I'm working very loosely here, guys. We just need to hold it out of Peter and the rest of us long enough to get out of here and hand it over to whoever the hell knows what to do with it-"

"Peter, what will we do with these fools?" the creature snarled.

Peter's body moved, shifting upright, and his eyes grew black and horrifying once more.

"They're hurting you, Peter," the voice convinced. "We don't need them,"

Tony caught a glimpse of Peter's terrified expression. He was fighting for control over his own body.

"Bruce," Tony began. "Do it!"

"We don't know the form of the symbiote-"

"Do it now, Banner!"

Bruce powered up the defibrillator, letting the voltage grow until it hit the frequency they needed to hurt the parasite. Another scream ripped through the room and Peter doubled over, clinging to his stomach in pain.

"Ughhhh!" he cried. "Ughhh, stop!"

Black goo enveloped the teenager once again, swimming around him before latching onto his body and entering. 

"Time to go, Peter," the voice commanded.

Steve was quicker, though. He rushed over behind the teen and grabbed him by his arms, holding him where he was. The creature extended from Peter's body once again to attack the Captain, but Bruce hit the defibrillator once again. 

"Friday, amp it up!" Tony shouted.

The high-pitched cry of the voltage charge rang through the room, and they all watched on in horror at the sight of the parasite seeping out through Peter's mouth, nostrils and eyes. It fell to the floor like a black puddle, swimming across the tiles looking for another way to live.

"Get him out!" Tony cried, pointed to Peter.

Steve hurried to drag Peter from the lab, getting him out the door. Natasha, Tony and Bruce all cornered the symbiote while the ringing frequency continued to scream through the room. Their own ears felt like they were bleeding now, but they needed to get the parasite contained. 

Tony opened the door to one of the glass display cabinets for his suit, figuring it would be a stable place to hold the creature for now. Bruce pointed the defibrillator at the black puddle, rounding it up until it left into the glass case, seeking relief from the painful sound. 

As soon as the door shut, Bruce shut off the agonising scream, letting out a sigh of relief. They watched the symbiote closely as it swam around the glass case, seeking a way out. They had never seen anything like it. This black, sticky puddle had taken hold of Peter and almost killed him. Tony wasn't just going to hand this back over to whoever was supposed to be in control. He was going to make sure it never saw another living soul again. Especially not Peter. 

Peter.

Tony rushed out of the room, eyes fixed on Peter who was laying on the ground just outside the lab doors with Steve by his side. He was awake, breathing, back to himself. But he was exhausted.

"Peter!" Tony began, running a hand over his face to check his eyes. "Look at me, kid, right here,"

"Mr. Stark," Peter breathed, a slight smile of relief on his face. "H-hey..."

Tony shook his head, grinning.

"Hey yourself,"

"Is it...s'gone?"

"It's gone, you're okay," Tony assured. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. A bit...kinda sore," he nodded. "Kinda...hungry,"

"We can fix that," Clint laughed, looking over the pile of food still sitting on the desk. 

Peter sat up a moment later, looking directly into Tony's eyes. He was trembling, but his color was returning. Tony was staring back at him as if his whole world almost crumbled before his eyes.

"It's gone, right?" Peter asked. "I can't...I don't want to feel that again,"

"It's gone," Tony nodded, reaching out to put his hands on Peter's shoulders. 

"You're sure?" 

The panic in Peter's eyes broke Tony's heart. He couldn't imagine how it would have felt.

"I'm sure, it's gone, you're okay," he promised. 

"But...I need..." 

Tony looked up at the team around him, gesturing them to step aside for a moment. It was clear Peter wanted to talk to only Tony right now, and they were happy to give them privacy. They made their way back inside the lab, Bruce starting to converse with Friday about the containment of the symbiote and Natasha starting to line up some contacts.

Peter watched them walk out, leaving just him and Tony in silence in the hall. 

"Hey, it's just me," Tony refocused his attention. "Talk to me,"

Peter looked to him, his eyes watering.

"I couldn't...I couldn't stop it," he shook his head. "I was...I was _there _you know? I remember it coming out of my mouth, I remember what happened, I was there and awake and I couldn't do a thing!"

"Hey, that's what this thing does, okay? No one could have stopped it," Tony shook his head. 

"What if it got me to _hurt _someone?"

"But it didn't get to that, Peter-"

"It could have! And I would have just _done _it, because I couldn't...couldn't do a thing,"

Tony pulled the boy into his arms, holding close to his chest as he hugged him tighter than he remembered hugging anyone. Peter hugged him in return with just as much force, if not more. He was shaking, terrified, and Tony wished there was more he could do.

"Don't blame yourself for something that didn't even happen, Pete," Tony urged. "Don't focus on what could have happened. It's gone now, okay?"

"But what if it comes back?"

"It won't,"

"But what if it _does _and I don't realize?" 

"The right people are coming to take it away for good," Tony assured. "And I'm gonna stay with you all night, okay? Just to make sure."

"You promise?" Peter asked, his voice weak and small like a child.

"I promise, Pete," Tony nodded. 

"And it's gone from me right now, isn't it?"

Tony couldn't blame Peter for asking over and over again. He would be doing the same. Tony pulled back, grabbing Peter's chin.

"Open," he instructed.

Peter stared at him for a moment before doing as he was told. As embarrassing as it was, Peter needed that confirmation. Poking his tongue out, Peter opened wide and made sure Tony saw into his mouth and eyes.

"Hmm, all I'm seeing is food stuck in your teeth, kid," Tony hummed. "A lot of food,"

"Ih ha aw?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, that's all," Tony nodded. "All I see is Peter,"

_Thank God_, Tony thought.

"Okay," Peter sighed, relieved. "You'll still stay with me?"

"Until your sick of me, kid."

_Never, _Peter thought. __


End file.
